Bimetallic flanged dividing strip



March 7, 1933. P. GALASSI 1,900,705

BIMETALLIC FLANGED DIVIDING STRIP Filed Nov. 6, 1931 a Q *G;

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INVENTOR 5 (/flQ'l/(l/F 90/068! BY his ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1933 PASQUALE GALASSI, or ew YORK, N. Y.

' BIMETALLIC ELANGEDLDIVIDING STRIP Application filed November 6, 1931. Serial No.1573,444.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of terrazzo and SlmlliLI floors and more particularly refersto a new type of dividing strip adapted for use in,

connection with such floors.

Terrazzo, granolithic and similar floors generally comprise a lower or foundation bed made of concrete or cement or mortar or ishing layer generally consistingof a ni ixture of marble chips and cement, providing a good durable surface, and affording the possibility of producing design and color effects of a practically unlimited variety.

' In the construction of this type of floors, the foundation layer is first laid and allowed to harden to'a suflicientdegree of consistency. Dividing strips are then placed on or through the foundation layer, so as to outline a predetermined-design, and the upper layer is then laid in position. As a result, the floor which is ground and polished after the upoer layer has become hard will appear as a combination of panels together forming the floor design, said panels being separated from one another by the dividing strips.

The strips employed are generally made of relatively soft metal such as brass for instance, but are also at times made of different materials according to the ornamental requirements of the design and color scheme to be produced. I As arule however, the metal employed is apt to be considerably more expensive than steel, and therefore it is desirable to substitute steel or some other inexpensive material for the part of the strip which is embedded into the floor material and'which is not likely to show even after the floor has been subjected to considerable wear.

A dividing strip of the character specified should possess various desirable characteristics besides being adapted to be produced at relatively low cost. The strip should be sufficiently rigid to stand rough handling; it should have means for determining the depth at which it is to be inserted withinthe lower layer of the floor and it. should also. be provided with means for securely anchoring it in position, although the anchoring-and other suitable material and an upper'or fin said tongues against positioning functions can, if desired, be centered in a single element or set of'elements. The strip should also be so constructed so as to make it easy to determine and maintain its vertical alignment. while it 1 is being 5 placed in position.

In another application forpatent, entitled Flanged strips for terrazzo floors, Serial No. 486,165, filed October 3,1930, allowed April 28, 1931', I have describedand claimed a bimetallicstrip composed'of two sections, thelower section bein formed with a continuous longitudinal fl ange, and being furthermore formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced upturned tongues or lugs, adaptedto be connected to or to interlock with the upper section. V

, I have found in practice that a most convenient and compact strip results when the V upturned tongues are substantially flush with the body of the lower section; this results in a strip having substantially a T-section, which makes it possible to pack a relatively large number of strips in a close and compact arrangement and Which( in its turn, results in considerable savings in packing and shipping costs. I

In all the strips of this particular type, shown in the drawings pertaining to the mentioned application, the tongues were obso tained by punching the body of-the lower section at longitudinally spaced intervals in proximity of its upper or inner edge and bending the tongues thus formed through an angle of 180, the outer portion of the 86 tongues being bent inwardly, that is, parallel with the flange, so as to be insertable through slots or openings provided in the upper section. 7 1 I By then bending down the tip end of 90 the side of the upper section a fast and permanent connection between the two sections is obtained. 7 However, the necessity of bending the body of the tongues 180at their point of attachment, together with the necessity of further bending their outer-portion 90, entails a number of operations which make it necessaryto use dies of a complicated and costly construction. 10c

When parts are isolated from and then bent with respect to a strip of sheet metal, it is comparatively easy to bend such isolated parts at right angles to the body of the metal strip by means of comparatively simple dies; but when it is necessary to bend such parts for more than 90 it becomes necessary to either perform additional operations or to employ dies of a more complicated and costly design.

Either one of these conditions will, of course, react unfavorably upon the cost of production, which on the other hand should be kept as low as possible for obvious reasons.

The primary object of this invention is accordingly to provide a bimetallic flanged strip of the character described, comprising a flanged lower section provided with upturned tongues or lugs, said tongues or lugs being obtained by means of simple operations, requiring a relatively small expenditure of labor and the use of relatively inexpensive tools as well.

Another object is to provide a dividing strip for terrazzo and like floors, of a rigid and relatively inexpensive construction, said strip being formed out of two sections, the lower section being provided with a longitudinal flange laterally extending from the body thereof, said flange having a width suflieient to permit connecting tongues or lugs being struck off therefrom, and being bent at right angles thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will more fully appear as the Cal description proceeds and will be set forth and claimed in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a strip embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the two sections composing said strip before they are assembled; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of a similar strip, in which the outer edge of the flange is bent at right angles to the body of the flange so as to reinforce said flange;

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of another strip, also embodying my invention in a somewhat different form;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical cross sec- Q tion of a terrazzo floor showing another dividing strip also embodying my invention, in position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective of two sections composing a strip embodying my invention in a somewhat different form;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in perspec tive of a strip composed of the two sections shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective of another strip embodying one of the features of my invention.

The strip illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises an upper section 10 and a lower section 11, interlocking therewith. The upper section consists of a flat strip having an uninterrupted edge 12 and provided with a plurality of slots or openings 13, arranged at spaced intervals in proximity of its lower or inner edge.

The lower section is preferably formed out of an originally flat strip by bending its inner edge portion at right angles to its body portion 14:, so as to form a laterally extending longitudinal flange 15. Said flange is punched at spaced intervals in proximity of its bending edge 16 to form tongues extending from said bending edge in correspondence of slots or openings 13 in the upper section.

The tongues thus punched off and offset from said flange are bent upwardly as shown at 17, their outer portion being bent inwardly as shown at 18 so as to be insertable through slots or openings 13, when the inner or lower edge portion of the upper section is placed against the upwardly extendin portion 19 of said tongues. The tip end or said tongues is then bent downwardly against the opposite side of the upper section as shown at 20, so that a result the tongues will form hook shaped members inserted through slots or openings 13, securely joining the two sections of the strip to each other.

The height of the upper section preferably corresponds to the depth of the upper layer of the floor in connection with which the strip is to be used, and, therefore, the flange 15 will serve both as positioning and anchoring means for the strip.

It will be observed that this construction results in a very rigid strip, easy to place in position, its vertical alignment being positively assured by the supporting surface provided by the flange. The openings 21, resulting in the flange when the tongues are struck off and offsettherefrom, do not 1na terially weaken the structure, because the lower section being made of relatively inexpensive metal, the flange can be made wide enough to provide excess material at the points where the tongues are formed without materially increasing the cost of production.

On the other hand, the total cost of the strip is relatively low because the nature of the joint described permits of using for the upper section a strip or bar no higher than the depth of the upper layer of the floor. A strong and rigid structure will thus be obtainable at a minimum cost for both labor and material.

At times it may be preferable to somewhat strengthen the flange without unduly increasing its width, and in such cases the outer edge of the flange may be bent at right angles to'the body of the flange so as to form a' reinforcing rib therefor. Such. a construction is shown in Fig. 3 where the lower section22 is formed witha laterally extending flange 23, the outer edge of said flange being bent downwardly to form a reinforcing rib 24.

It is possibleto effect a connection between the upturned tongues and the upper section in ways different'froin that shown and described in Figs. 1 to 3. For instance, in Fig. 4 I show the lower section 25 provided with a laterally extending flange 26 and formed with upwardly extending tongues 27, struck off and bent at right angles to said flange. Said tongues are formed with hollow rivet-like extensions 28, which may be inserted through corresponding openings provided in the upper section 29, the edges of said extensions being turned outwardly against the surface of said upper section to form retaining lips 30, permanently connecting the two sections to each other.

' The constructions just described else permit of using upper sections of varying widths. For instance, in Fig. 5, 31 designates a floor foundation, 32 is the lower layer of a terrazzo floor and 33 is the upper layer. Adjoining panels composing the upper layer are defined by dividing strips embodying my invention, each strip comprising a lower section '34, formed with a continuous longitudinal laterally extending flange 35 and an upper section consisting of a rolled or extruded bar, comprising a relatively thick head and a relatively thin rib portion 37 depending therefrom, said rib portion being provided with openings at longitudinally spaced intervals and the lower section being provided with tongues 38,

struck off and offset from the flange thereof, the outer portion of said tongues being inserted through said openings and its tip end being bent downwardly to form a permanent connection between the two sections.

At times, while a floor strip should be stiff enough to stand ordinary handling, its construction should be such as to permit its being bent around curves with relative case.

In such cases it is preferable for the flange projecting laterally of the lower section to be notched at spaced intervals so as to weaken the section of the strip at various points throughout its length. Instead of a con tinuous flange, therefore, the lower section.

will result provided with. a plurality of spaced flange members, which to a certain extent strengthen the'strip and which perform the positioning and anchoring functions quite as effectively as a continuous flange. V

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show a construction of strip embodying this feature. In the same it will be seen that the lower section 39 is formed with an originally continuous laterally extending flange, which is notched at longitudinally spaced intervals, as shown at 40, 41, to produce upwardly directed tongues 42, having their outer end 43 bent substantially parallel to the flange, so as to be insertable through openings 44 of the upper section 45. V

Like in the case of Figs. 1, 2, after the upper section 45 has been inserted in position over the outer portions 43 of tongues 42, the tip ends of portions 43 are bent downwardly to form retaining lips 46, as previously explained.

. The resulting strip shown in Fig. 7 will be formed with longitudinal series of flange members 47, separated by the intervening notches 40, 41, etc., so that the strip can be bent around curves with comparative ease.

t The laterally extending flange can also be notched at spaced intervals independently of the manner in which the connecting tongues are produced. For instance, in Fig. 8 I illustrate a strip where the upper section 48 is connected to the lower section 49 by means of hook formed tongues 50, struck off and bent upwardly from the body of the lower section, forming-openings 51, 52, throughsaid body.

The flange is, in its turn, notched at spaced'intervals atpoints such as 53, intermediate the tongues, so as to form a longi tudinal series of spacedflange members 54.

A strip thus constructed will be somewhat more flexible than the strip shown in Fig. 7, because there are no transversal ribs 'or reinforcements at the points of weakening of the stri section.

The constructional details of my improved strip may vary from. those shown without departing from the inventive idea; the drawing will therefore be understood as being intended for illustrative purposes only and-notin a limiting sense. Accordingly, Ireserve the right to carry my-invention into practice, in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. in a bimetallic divider strip for ter razzo or like floors, the combination, with an upper section, of a lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from and transversely of said flange, said tonguesprojecting upwardly from said etc.,

flange, and being connected in a substantially permanent manner to the upper section to form a unitary strip with said lower section. a

2. In a bimetallic divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, the combination, with an upper section havin a plurality of lon- 'itiulinally spaced perforations in proximity of its inner edge, of a lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from and transversely of said flange, said tongues pro ecting upwardly from said flange, saic tongues being con nected to said perforations to join said two sections to each other.

In a bimetallic divider s rip for terrazzo or like floors, the combin: i 1, with an upper section having a plurality of longitudinally spaced perforations in proximity of its inner edge, of a lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from and transversely of said flange, said tongues projecting upwardly from said flange, said tongues being ins *rted through said perforations and joining said two sections to each other.

l. In a bimetallic divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, the combination, with an upper section havng a plurality of longitudinally spaced perforations i, proximity of its inner edge, of a lower tion having at its inner edge a flange eaten ling laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues offset from and transversely of said flange, said tongues projecting upwardly from said flange, and being substantially flush with the body of said lower section, said tongues being connected to said perforations to join said two sections to each other.

5. In a bimetallic divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, the combination, with an upper section, of a lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues of" set from said flange, said tongues projecting upwardly from said flange, and being connected in a substantially permanent manner to the upper cction to form a unitary strip with said lowerseotion, the outer edge of said flange being bent at an angle thereto, so as to form a'reinforcing rib for said flange.

6. In a bimetallic oivider strip for terrazzo or like floors, the combina ion, with an upper section having a plurality of longitudinally spaced perforations in proximity of its inner edge, f a lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced tongues ofllset from and transversely of said flange, said tongues projecting upwardly from said flange, said tongues being inserted through said perforations and joining said two sections to each other, the outer edge of said flange being bent at an angle thereto, so as to form a reinforcing rib for said flange.

7. A divider strip for terrazzo or like floors, comprising upper and lower longitudinal sections, the lower section having at its inner edge a flange extending laterally of the body thereof, said flange being notched at longitudinally spaced intervals to form a plurality of tongues offset from and upwardly projecting from said flange, said tongues abutting against the side of and being connected in a substantially perinanent runner to the upper section to form a unitary strip with said lower section.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature.

PASQUALE GALASSI. 

